Founders Financial Securities LLC Buys New Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Founders Financial Securities LLC bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $497,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 121.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 73 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its position in shares of Waters by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. Barclays increased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. HSBC upped their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $425.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.56.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $358.22 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $343.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.93. The company has a market capitalization of $35.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.21. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $414.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.39. Waters had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Waters has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 14.400-14.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.